On Thursday evening, a number of youths lined up at Maka al-Mukarrama Avenue, a major road that links the city’ Aden Abdulle International Airport and Villa Somalia, the state house in the Somali capital Mogadishu.

The aim was to offer the youngsters an opportunity to race for a medal offered by the municipality of Mogadishu.

The occasion, however, was to flag off a solar lighting system project on Maka al-Mukarrama Avenue by the city’s municipality.

Bright lights illuminated the street from one end to the other that stretched two and half kilometres. The bulbs attached to each pole drew energy from a solar system that collected energy from the sun.

The youth that started the race from Km4 Junction jogged to the entrance of the presidential palace.

Mr Mohamed Ahmed Nur alias Tarzan, the Mayor of Mogadishu, and municipal officers also walked along the avenue in a bid to attract attention towards the brightened street.

As the ceremony progressed, Mayor Nur cut a ribbon to symbolise the dawn of a new era by his municipal body.